A grieving woman whose grandchild, Matthew Small, died in a shooting involving members of the security forces almost a year ago is pleading for help to bury his remains as the anniversary of that incident looms.

“My grandson dead from inna December last year and mi beg dem a likkle help fi bury him and all now. A don’t have it,” the woman, Marcia Francis, told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

According to Francis, who said assistance had been pledged to her by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s Poor Relief Department, nothing has been forthcoming despite several visits there.

“Dem tell mi six months and six months pass. In July a go there and I don’t get no help. Miss, mi a tell yuh di truth, a don’t have it. A mi alone haffi up and dung, right now him deh pon ice suck out, a don’t have nobody to help mi. Please, mi a beg unuh if unuh could help mi, please,” she pleaded.

According to Francis, her grandson, whom she described as “a nice likkle bwoy”, had died innocently.

“Police just si him and kill him inna Ewarton. Him born and grow in Linstead, so him come look fi mi and seh him a go down a him grandparents go fix up; him a go weed up him daddy grave and last year December I hear that Matthew dead. Ewarton police kill him and wi have dem a court same way. From last year December him dead and him can’t bury and dis yah December will make one year. Si it here, I have nobody to help mi with this,” she said, waving a burial order with Small’s name on it.

Small is named in the 2024 Security Forces Fatal Shootings report of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). Listed as number 176 with an incident date of December 13, 2024, INDECOM said Small was shot dead in the Whitehouse Housing Scheme in Ewarton, St Catherine, by individuals assigned to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.